


when i'm at home

by minmoongi



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: M/M, its gonna be a slow build huhu bear with me, other members will appear eventually!, sheltered!changkyun, tattoo!artist wonho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 14:18:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10664385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minmoongi/pseuds/minmoongi
Summary: Sheltered Changkyun is sent to South Korea for the summer and meets tattoo-artist Wonho.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is something that i had been wanting to write for a while now haha (ride or die remains in the dark and i'll get to that later i promise).
> 
> i shall inform all of you that this will be very long, meaning there won't be much action in the first several chapters! i'll get to the drama soon hehe

It’s been a habit of Chankgyun to turn up to the airport hours before his actual flight – something he picked up from his mother who had a pet-peeve for tardiness. He has already checked in at five in the morning for his eight o’clock flight, coffee in his jittering hand and laptop on his lap now that he’s settled in the airport lounge. The three hours he has to kill should be used to catch up on sleep, Changkyun supposes, but the slumber doesn’t quite reach him yet. Not when he’s too nervous for what’s about to come.

When he deems his exposure from the brightness of the laptop’s screen too much for his eyes, he folds it shut and sets it on the seat beside him with his backpack. He chooses to ignore the impending sunrise viewed through the windows of the airport as his hand reaches for the shades hanging from his breast pocket. He puts it over his eyes, hoping to catch some sleep, even if it is just for a while.

How he got to where he is right now is all still a big blur to Changkyun. No, he didn’t volunteer to ship himself to the other side of the world where he knew no one at all, and he most definitely did not volunteer to leave the comfort of his own home for the course of three months. After being homeschooled his whole life, he has no idea how his mother expects him to adjust moving to another country for three months. He wasn’t normal, and he has his mother sheltering him for nineteen years to blame for that.

He ends up fidgeting in his seat for a whole hour thinking about how he was going to survive the whole summer season, and ends up getting no shut eye at all.

Changkyun wants to stay _home_. _Home_ isn’t even Boston. _Home_ isn’t the state of Massachusetts and it isn’t even the US. _Home_ was one coordinate in the face of the Earth. Just one specific point in the entire world. _Home_ was his room, more specifically his bed where his laptop, mini-fridge, and phone was in arm’s reach, where no one could bother him and he was in his own bubble; away from the reality of the world. His mother doesn’t seem to understand that, like how she doesn’t understand Changkyun as a person at all, but Changkyun knows that she believes that this is for his betterment.

Or hers, now that she’s found a new model boyfriend to spoil. Shipping Changkyun off would take a baggage off of her shoulders.

Changkyun doesn’t hold his mother against it; knows that she deserves the happiness that she gets from her relationships. Besides, what matters to Changkyun is that he’s alive and he has a mother who willingly spends for his food, education, clothes and whatever he wished to acquire. He knew his mother loved him and he just really wished that she considered his feelings for this decision she made to send him away. If her mother thought he would be able to live in South Korea with no problems at all then _hah,_ Changkyun just confirmed that her mother might now know him at all.

The phone sitting in between his legs rings, and he accepts the call without sparing the caller ID a glance. There is only ever one person who calls him on his phone, and she must be in Europe at the moment like what she had said before she left their home in Boston.

“ _Kyunnie_.” Changkyun cringes at the nickname. “Are you at the airport?” His mother asks with  a perfected American accent. One that makes him cringe. A huge improvement, Changkyun observes, after several years of trying to lose the Korean accent.

 “Yeah,” Changkyun sighs. “Ready to be expelled from the United States of America.”

“Baby, it’s just for three months,” his mother coos at him lovingly. If she was in front of him right now, she would probably wrap Changkyun in a warm hug. Changkyun can’t believe he actually misses this right now. “And it’s just to figure out if you’d like to study there.”

“But I already know I won’t like it there,” Changkyun whines as he throws his head back on the metal seat with a pout on his lips. “I’m perfectly fine in Boston.”

“You said it yourself that you would get lost in Boston if you tried to explore it. Why not get lost in Seoul instead?”

“Because I don’t know anyone in Seoul. I’m not even fluent in Korean,” Changkyun reasons out desperately. There’s a slim chance his mother would cancel his trip, but he has to try.

“Darling, you don’t know anyone in Boston either. And your Korean is way better than mine,” his mother answers. Before he can even complain about not getting back to the US alive after three months, her mother already does a checklist on everything he needs. “Passport?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have been able to get through immigration if I didn’t have it.”

“Student visa?”

“Yes, Mom, but–”

“Social security identification card?”

“I have it, but that’s–”

“Card?” _That_ card. Changkyun doesn’t even need to check. It’s always there, tucked nicely in his wallet. Very rarely used, even if he’s encouraged to do so.

“It’s there,” he eyes the pocket of his bag that contained his wallet.

“Then you don’t have anything to worry about.” Changkyun could see the smile on his mother’s face, talking to him from the opposite end of the line. “Listen, baby. I’ll talk to you later, alright? John just got back home from work and–”

“Please spare me from the details of your evening activities with your boyfriend,” Changkyun cuts her off with a grimace on his face. “I’ll call you when I land in Incheon. Bye, Mom.”

In all honesty, the only problem Changkyun has with all this ordeal is the fact that he actually has to interact with people. With _strangers._ And in this world, everybody was a stranger to Changkyun, except for his mother, homeschool professor, who had probably, by now, forgotten his name, and his mother’s colleagues, who she had introduced to him and whose names he had already forgotten. So maybe his mother had a point. There’s no reason for Changkyun to want to stay behind in Boston. He was almost always alone there, save for the two housemaids who clean their home and cook for him, and like what she mentioned, Changkyun barely knew the city. He knows as much with Boston as he did with Seoul. Knowledge close to zero.

It takes Changkyun another hour of squirming in his seat before the PA system announces that his flight is ready to accept passengers. Changkyun’s thankful it’s just in time because if it had been late for more than ten minutes, then might _accidentally_ miss his flight. With his backpack slung on his shoulders, boarding pass and phone in hand, and earphones blasting music, he’s about to go on his three-month trip to hell.


	2. Chapter 2

Changkyun always jokingly refers to this trip as “three months of hell”, but the joke is on him because the moment he lands in Incheon, he feels as if hell might actually only be two feet below Seoul. Changkyun strips himself free from the jacket he had been wearing until he’s down to his dark-green button up and jeans.

It’s thirty-one degrees, which is a bit higher than the average temperature in summer, according to the internet. He tries blaming the weird feeling of being in another country on the temperature, but he knew himself that it wasn’t the heat alone that made him uncomfortable.

He doesn’t expect a welcoming committee, so he is utterly confused when he spots a board with his name on it; and even more puzzled when he sees a familiar old lady holding up the sign. Changkyun awkwardly flashes a small smile and wipes the sweat on his palms on his ripped jeans. His mother had mentioned something about a car picking him up to drop him at his accommodation, but made no point to tell him about the lady.

Changkyun approaches cautiously albeit sluggishly with cluelessness painting his face. He pulls one of the buds from his ear and whispers a small informal greeting.

The woman, probably in her early 60s if Changkyun is going to judge her by the gray in her hair, gives him a one over and sighs to herself. “Ah,” she says after scanning him from head to toe. “I don’t know why I expected Korean etiquette from you. I knew your mother raised you the Western way,” she mutters under her breath.

Changkyun doesn’t bother correcting her and pretends like he doesn’t hear. The truth was, his mother had taught him proper Korean etiquette. It’s just that she doesn’t mind it when Changkyun forgets to speak formally or when he doesn’t bow upon greeting her. His mother thinks it’s cute when Changkyun says, _komawo-_ you _._ You can imagine what kind of other unruly shit he is allowed to do freely.

The old lady instructs a boy behind her to get Changkyun’s things, and when he hesitates to let his luggage get carried away, the old lady smiles at him. “Changkyun-ah, you can call me grandma. I’m your father’s mother. Let him carry your bags to the car.”

Then it clicks, and he figures out why her face had been somewhat familiar. The last time he went to South Korea was fifteen years ago when he was only five. It makes sense that Changkyun can’t remember much of her when she had almost never been mentioned by both his father and mother, so it’s sort of relieving that he was able to recall her face, even by a little bit.

In the middle of the car ride to Seoul, Changkyun is handed a phone by his grandmother. He squints his eyes and reads the name typed in hangul on the screen and puts it to his ear the moment he reads _Yoon Joonhee._

“Mom?” He says, voice deep and sleepy.

“Baby, I’m glad you were able to meet your grandmother with no problems,” she says from the other line. “I forgot to tell you that she’s going to be welcoming you.”

“Yes, well,” he mumbles in his first language. “Too late?”

“Changkyun, speak in Korean while you’re there. And do me a favor and _try_ to fit in? Or at least just act Korean?”

“What do you mean ‘act Korean’?” He says, still not switching codes. “I _am_ Korean by blood, Mom.”

“Yes, but etiquette and standards,” she pleads through the line. Changkyun resists the urge to bring up that time that she admitted to resisting those etiquettes and standards, but he knows that their conversation is never going to get anywhere if he starts that debate. “Come on, Changkyun. Don’t give your grandmother a hard time.”

“ _Fine,”_ he finally gives in and replies in Korean. He only hums and nods at the questions he is asked and only when he feels the sleep creeping up to him does he say his goodbyes.  “I’ll send you a message when I’m settled in later. Bye.” He gives it back to his grandmother with a smile and tries to close his eyes to get some sleep before he gets to his accommodation.

Changkyun feels too hazy to listen in on his grandmother’s conversation with his mother. He falls asleep for a little while and wakes up when the car has already parked in front of the gate of a residential house just on the mouth of a quiet neighborhood.

He climbs down the car and looks around. The house is relatively bigger than the ones surrounding it, and with a wider garden that stretched several meters between the gate and front door. Beside the two-story house was some kind of greenhouse. Everything about the house and lot is a complete 180 from their residence in Boston; an opposite to the high-rise condominium unit that he lived in.

“It’s quiet,” he comments, loud enough for his grandmother to hear.

“It is, but it’s only a short walk out of this subdivision. It’s a ten-minute commute from your school and a five-minute walk to the coffee shop or whatever you kids are into these days,” she says. She motions for Changkyun to step in through the gates. “You’ll be staying in the house. I’ll have a cleaner come in every Wednesday to tidy up. I won’t be home that much since I’ll be manning the shop, although I will be cooking your meals so you don’t need to worry about that.”

“O-oh… You don’t have t-to–”

“I was told you couldn’t cook. I make a mean soy-sauce crab, if you’re up for that.”

“Thank you,” he says formally with a bow. His grandmother smiles in appreciation. He points at the other boy carrying two of Changkyun’s baggage up the stairs and tells him to follow inside the house.

“I’ll give you some alone time for now. If you want any lunch, there’s beef stew in the kitchen – I’m sure you’ll be able to find your way there – and the first room to your right when you climb up the stairs, that your room. You can arrange it whichever you’d like. Feel free to take a bath or sleep. I’ll call you tonight when it’s time for dinner.”

Changkyun bows once more and steps inside the house prudently. He almost forgets to remove his shoes at the front door, but remembers when he mindlessly steps on the helper’s shoes. Neatly in the corner he tucks his shoes, and explores the house further.

He follows the boy quietly up to his room and he only stares as his luggage is placed lightly down on the wooden floor. The helper, skinny and tall, and notably young, turns around to face Changkyun with a tight-lipped smile. He looks like he was forced to do what he just did, and Changkyun just wants to fly away from the house.

“Do you want ice cream? I keep some in the fridge. It helps with the heat,” the boy shrugs.

Changkyun feels his cheeks heat up. Was it _that_ obvious how uncomfortable he was? He shakes his head _no._ “Thank you,” he bows.

“Okay. Welcome to South Korea,” the boy smiles and brushes by Changkyun to exit.

Changkyun lets out a breath he isn’t even aware he was holding, and once again swipes his palms on his jeans to get rid of the thin layer of sweat on his skin.

When he’s peeked at every room – downstairs and upstairs – he heads back to his room and sinks down on the bed in the middle of the room.

This is home, he realizes, at least for three months.

Suddenly he’s supposed to interact with people, eat meals with another person, and commute from one place to another by himself. Changkyun lets the overwhelming feeling sink in to him and groans thinking about how this is going to be the longest three months of his entire life and he doesn’t even know if he’s going to last a month without going rogue.

He eventually finds the strength to get up and take a bath before retiring to the bed to go to sleep. His grandmother doesn’t wake him up for lunch like she had promised and even lets Changkyun skip dinner. He wakes up by himself twenty hours later feeling disoriented from the jetlag and warm despite having the air-conditioning blast air at the lowest temperature.

The smell of fried egg leads him to the kitchen where he sees the silhouette of his grandmother behind the stove.

“Good morning,” Changkyun says, voice raspy, as he bows ninety-degrees.

“Oh, you’re awake,” she smiles. “Go and sit down in the dining room. I’ll be finished soon.”

“Yes,” Changkyun replies, crossing the corridor and sitting on the table inside the room across the kitchen. Changkyun takes time to look around the dining area to see random pictures splayed around of his father’s family. Beside the flower vase near the door sits a frame that captures Changkyun’s eyes. It’s his family picture from when he was still a toddler, which was one of the few they had managed to take before his parents got separated.

He’s served a bowl full of fried rice and a dish of kimchi and fried egg on the side. A typical Korean breakfast, Changkyun figures, and he hasn’t had one ever since he started living with his mother. It’s a good thing that he isn’t raised to be a picky eater so he digs in at his grandmother’s cue to start eating.

“What are your plans today?” She asks from across the table as she watches him devour her food. “I can take you around Seoul if you want?”

“You don’t have to if it’s out of your way,” Changkyun turns down her offer. “I’d rather just stay here.”

“Okay then. I’ll be in the flower shop the whole day,” she tells him. “I’ll leave you the number to the shop in case you need anything.”

Changkyun’s ears perks up. “Flower shop? You work at a flower shop?”

His grandmother chuckles. “I own one. Would you like to come with me after? Hyungwon would like some company too. Maybe he could show you around after he’s done with his shift.”

Changkyun purses his lips and actually contemplates whether on going, but the sudden realization that he would have to socialize with another being, a foreigner, turns him off from the idea. “Not today, I guess. I’ll clean up after my things in the room first. Maybe I’ll visit some other day though.”

“Alright then,” she presses a smile and proceeds to clear the table in front of Changkyun. “There’s food on the stove. Help yourself, alright?”

He hums in affirmation, pads up the stairs to his room, and plops face down on the bed.

For some reason, Changkyun seldom felt lonely before even though he was always by himself 24/7. Now that he’s pushed into a situation where he’s surrounded by people, he knows he should be feeling less alone. A little part inside Changkyun hoped that he would get the chance to be a normal person in this trip, but the bigger part of him believed that it is highly unlikely.

Changkyun doesn’t even like himself, so he really has no idea how other people, be it in Boston or in Seoul, will like him as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgive me for the very late update. unfortunately, i think underestimated the load of my work. i still have a lot to do in the next two weeks, but by then, i really would be free from everything soooooooooooo more writing i guess


	3. Chapter 3

Changkyun falls off the bed when he’s startled by loud knocking on his door. There’s about five minutes left before his alarm usually rings, and the normal teenager in him always puts it on snooze, and ends up sleeping for two more hours. He finds that waking up to someone knocking on his door is more effective, but is quite unsafe for his poor sensitive heart.

He scrambles to get up and open the door, only to face the boy who had helped him with his luggage before.

On the other side stands the tall lanky boy, hair falling into a middle part and glasses perched on top of the bridge of his nose.

“Hi,” he says with a sleepy smile.

Changkyun suddenly feels small, as this guy has a few inches on him. Changkyun, with his hair still sticking up in different directions and sleep marks deep on his cheeks, wordlessly gawks up at the other boy.

The boy continues, “Chae Hyungwon.” He presses his plump lips into a smile. A few seconds pass by and Changkyun’s mouth is too dry. “Uh, your grandmother told me you read a lot?”

Chankyun blinks.

Hyungwon talks, “My sister’s a Literature major. Thought you might enjoy this.” Hyungwon’s candle-like fingers reach out to Changkyun and hands over an old dark-green hardbound book. He smiles sheepishly. “I stole it from her collection, but I’m sure she won’t mind sharing it with another book-lover.”

 _Noruwei No Mori.._ Changkyun has seen the film; makes a mental note to get started on the novel tonight as he slides the tips of his fingers across the texture of the cover. The scratches on the book tells Changkyun that the book has seen some time, but he’s impressed by how the pages seem to stay their fresh light flesh color.

The only reason why Changkyun has sustained a habit of reading is because there isn’t much to do when you’re always alone. Even if he finds it boring a lot of times, he can’t deny the adventure gets out of them. Reading gives him a peek of reality – not necessarily the situations (let’s be real, Changkyun doesn’t know if he’ll ever encounter dragons and wizards) – but more on the feelings and emotions. The philosophy of people. It somehow makes him believe that he understands others better.

He almost forgets that Hyungwon is in front of him as he fantasizes about getting some reading time to himself, and almost slams the door on the other’s face.

Hyungwon catches Changkyun’s attention by clearing his throat. Changkyun lifts his head and Hyungwon is still standing there, waiting for a response as he teeters back and forth on his toes.

Changkyun lifts the book up and waves it around. “Thanks,” he says, voice raspy and low.

Hyungwon puts a hand up to scratch at the back of his neck as he carefully probes on. “She also said you need help to get to Sungkyunkwan? I’m free tomorrow, if you want company.”

“My grandmother put you up to this, didn’t she?” Changkyun guesses. He hadn’t meant to for it to come out as cold and distant, but it does. If there’s any truth to it, Hyungwon shows no sign of it, and simply smiles down at him.

“No. I came here with my own will. She _did_ mention it, but you know. Thought you could use someone to show you around,” Hyungwon answers.

Changkyun’s cheeks turn red for some reason unknown to him, and just awkwardly waves his hand. “I’ll think about it.”

Hyungwon nods in complete agreement and grins again. “I’ll be at the flower shop tomorrow. Drop by in the morning if you want to.” When the door is about to close on him, he says, “It’s really nice to meet you, Changkyun.”

It takes a while before Changkyun completely comprehends what Hyungwon just said, and is startled again by another set of knocks on his door.

“Oh, and the internet says it’s going to be hot today. Go grab some ice cream from the fridge later.”

-

Changkyun tries harder. He has to.

He overhears his grandmother talking to his mother in the evening when he sneaks down to get water from the fridge. The call was most likely triggered by the anti-social behavior Changkyun has been exhibiting after moving in, and while he’s thankful that his grandmother doesn’t pry, he still feels guilty when he hears his mother being scolded for her nurturing choices.

“If you raised him here in Korea, this wouldn’t be a problem,” her grandmother had said, although her tone was more laced with concern rather than scorn. “You’ve always been too busy to let him live like a normal boy. The least you could have done was give the boy a playmate. Or at least a pet to play with.”

 _Normal._ Changkyun hadn’t thought that he was anything out of the ordinary. He pouted at the thought of having a pet.

-

He decides to go to Hyungwon.

Changkyun figures that he really needs a companion if he wants to be able to get around the city on his own. The fact that Hyungwon is a bit thoughtful of him, despite not knowing him, was a plus.

Changkyun knows his day is not off to a good start when he wakes up at four in the morning, three hours before he usually gets up, to the rapid beating of his heart and on the sweat-soaked mattress he sleeps on.

He tries to ignore the dark circles under his eyes, and tries to look as presentable as possible before he’s out of his cave and out of the house. He stalks along the sidewalk to navigate himself around and out of the subdivision, occasionally referring to the direction sketch his grandmother had provided him earlier.

Right across the bus stop, he sees the quaint shop. _Areum,_ the sign above the door says. The cracked baby pink paint on the wall tells him that the shop has been there for quite some time, as well as the faded color of the wooden door, but it somehow works. Changkyun thinks it adds to the vintage vibe of the store.

The bell rings just as he opens the door. The tropical and provocative scent of Stargazers is slightly overwhelming and masks the fragrance of most of the other plants inside the store, not that Changkyun minds. Stargazers smelled sweet and heavy like bubblegum, and it sort of pacified the weird tingling feeling in his gut.

“Wait,” a voice calls from the back room of the shop. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Changkyun looks around until Hyungwon emerges behind the counter, grey sweatshirt swallowing him whole and black cap sitting on his head.

Still in a drowsy manner, Hyungwon greets him. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Changkyun says stiffly.

The bell attached to the front door rings again, signaling the arrival of another customer. Hyungwon’s eyes widens and he grabs the spray resting on the side of the counter. “Oh, I’m sorry. Do you mind spraying the flowers by the window? I’ve got something to arrange in the back just before we leave.”

“Sure,” Changkyun says, a bit too fast than he would have liked and immediately snatched the spray from Hyungwon’s hands. He finds his way to the front of the shop again and sees the roses he supposes he’s meant to water. It helps appease himself so he enthusiastically holds every rose delicately in his hand and sprays them with utmost care.

He is, however, pulled out of his tranquil moment when he moves to the isle to his left and gets startled by a customer hidden behind the orchids hanging on the wall. The man, strikingly blond and ornamented with several piercings on his ears and lower lip, turns his head to look at Changkyun with a soft and blank stare.

Changkyun’s eyes go from the man’s face, to the notebook he’s holding, to the bunch of daisies in the bucket completely parallel to him.

“I – ” Changkyun starts, but ends up standing on his spot wordless.

The stranger eyes the spray on Changkyun’s left hand and smiles. “Ah, you work here? Are you new?”

“Uh.”

“Go ahead,” he motions for the plants and shrugs. “I don’t mind.”

Changkyun wills his feet to start moving, and he quickly goes through the isle as quick as possible without the gentle and caring means he was spraying the roses with earlier.

Just as he’s spraying the last bucket of carnations, he hears the customer mumble, “I like your earring.”

Changkyun stops on his tracks and lifts his free hand up to his right ear to feel his piercing. “Uh, thank you.” He blinks at the customer who’s giving him a one over and chews on his bottom lip. “Bye.”

He doesn’t see the stranger break out in a smile and waving at him as he scurries away.

Hyungwon is in front of the counter slipping his wallet in his back pocket when Changkyun trips over a few plastic pots in an attempt to escape the customer.

“You look like you just saw the devil,” Hyungwon laughs.

 _I think I just did,_ is what Changkyun wanted to say, but the shop was deceptively small. And he’s sure that the customer will be able to hear him if he did. Hyungwon takes a peek at the isle and smiles.

“Let’s go?” Hyungwon takes the spray from Changkyun’s hands and sets it down. Changkyun only sighs in relief in response as they make a beeline for the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for it being abrupt because i wrote around 3.5k+ words for this chapter and didn't really know where to cut it haha i'll post the next one soon!  
> also, i'm sorry for the very very late update. i finished school around two weeks ago and unfortunately flunked my film subject.
> 
> there are times when i want to write but just can't, i and end up sleeping the whole day wallowing in sadness haha. but i'm fine. :)  
> anything (kudos, comments) is appreciated! :)
> 
> alsoooo, support the boys' comeback soon!! stream and stream and streaaaaaaam


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: this isn't edited
> 
> edited as of 7/17/2017  
> IN ONE OF THE PARAGRAPHS I PUT CHANYEOL INSTEAD OF CHANGKYUN I'M CTFU YALL CAN GUESS WHO'S EXCITED ABOUT EXO'S COME BACK

“You seem to get along well with Hyungwon,” his grandmother says as Changkyun is midbite with the homemade kimbap served for dinner. Changkyun opts to bite instead of shoving the whole piece in, and puts his hands up to cover at his mouth.

Changkyun isn’t sure how she’s able to make that assumption, given that he’s only actually hung out with Hyungwon for half a day. Which, he might also add, barely included much contact and interaction between the two of them. They did have lunch though, and it is possible that Changkyun’s grandmother sees that as progress, given the circumstances.

“He’s kind. He also treated me to lunch,” Changkyun says.

When he told his mother over the phone that evening, he’s told to be very thankful to Hyungwon, because it’s apparently a big deal to Korean culture that he was treated a meal. Changkyun thought that sounded ridiculous. “ _I’ll pay him back for the meal then,”_ he had said, to which his mother replied, “ _Changkyun, just let the goddamn boy be your friend.”_

Changkyun sets his sticks down on the table after finishing his meal. “Does he drop by here frequently?”

“Not much. Just lately,” his grandmother replies as she finishes up with her own meal. “By the way, he doesn’t like it when someone takes his ice cream so don’t touch any of his food in the fridge.”

Changkyun tilts his head in confusion. “He told me to get some for myself if I wanted to. Twice.”

His grandmother exhales with a smile. “Maybe he likes you a bit more than the both of us think,” she says. The floor squeaks as she pushes her wooden chair back to stand up. She begins to gather the utensils and the plates on the table. “Darling, if you want to talk to him, come to the shop. We’re not busy these days and he might want some company.”

Changkyun stands up to help, but is ordered to stay still on his seat. “I just really want to return a book he let me borrow.”

“Well.” His grandmother gathers all the plates and sticks in her arms and for a moment, he’s a bit frightened that everything might topple over and fall to the ground. It doesn’t. “It won’t return itself, Changkyunnie.”

-

Changkyun keeps the book in his backpack in case, but doesn’t deliberately go to the flower shop. He does, however, try to maneuver around Seoul by himself, going to and from his campus, as well as familiarizing himself with the streets and signs around the city. Changkyun gets lost in reading the signs, using it as practice as well, since he will be required, for the next few months, to read and write in Hangul.

It gets easier, somehow, to at least talk to strangers. He sits in class along with eight other students everyday and gets by with listening to the professors and taking down notes. He orders coffee for himself and gets himself takeout when he feels a bit brave. The second time he gets lost, he’s able to ask directions from a couple standing at a bus stop. It might seem ridiculous to be proud of, but Changkyun gives himself a pat on the back anyway. His grandmother seems happy too, and even tricks him into running some errands for her.

He runs to the grocery shop after his two classes in the morning and grabs everything his grandmother had listed down. On the way back, Changkyun doesn’t think much about it, but only realizes when he’s about to enter the shop that it’s a _trick._

 “What can I do for you?” Hyungwon’s voice is muffled behind the door until he comes out from the back room. His eyebrows shoot up when his eyes lands on Changkyun. “Oh, hey. You’re here.”

“I’m here.” Changkyun stands in the middle of the store and in front of the counter, plastic bag in hand, and waves awkwardly.

“Cute,” Hyungwon chuckles at him. “You came from Sungkyunkwan?”

“I did,” Changkyun says as he steps forward to place the plastic bag of food items on the counter. The shop seems to be empty, save for the shadow lurking at the farthest isle. Changkyun assumes it safe for Hyungwon to slack off for a bit. “ _Halmeoni_ told me to bring these here.”

Hyungwon’s eyebrows bunch up and he takes a peek at what’s inside the plastic. “You went to the grocery alone?” Hyungwon brings his eyes back up to Changkyun, with a half concerned and half curious stare.

Changkyun gets a bit embarrassed and rubs the back of his neck with his hand. “I know. Even I’m surprised I haven’t died of interaction yet,” Changkyun mutters.

Hyungwon laughs heartily which slightly startles Changkyun, who bows his head to hide the smile on his face.

Hyungwon puts both his hands on the counter and sighs. “She isn’t here though. But I think she’ll come back soon,” he says. “Do you want me to give it on your behalf? You can wait here too, if you want.”

Changkyun contemplates, teetering back and forth on the balls of his toes as he chewed on his lip. “Yeah, I think I’ll leave them here. I still have a paper due tomorrow.”

“Right,” Hyungwon smiles. He loops his fingers through the hole of the plastic bag and moves it on a table pushed against the wall. “I’ll keep an eye on this.”

“Thank you,” Changkyun mumbles softly as he bows at Hyungwon. His eyes suddenly widen as he shrugs the straps of his bag off of his shoulders. “Before I forget,” he says as he zips it open and pulls the book out. “Thank you for lending it to me.”

“You read fast,” Hyungwon comments as he takes the book in his hand. “Changkyun,” Hyungwon calls him before he’s halfway out the shop. “I’ll let you borrow another one. Drop by again.”

“Sure,” Changkyun says, with no intention to keep that promise at all.

But the errands keep coming, and Changkyun is too kind to decline. It ranges from bringing food to picking up sprays and chocolates for the shop. The upside to it all is that Hyungwon keeps his promise and brings a book for Changkyun to read. Changkyun lets himself indulge; reasons out that the book is a good way to keep himself entertained and is a reward from running errands for the shop.

“I like that there’s another kid around. At least it isn’t boring,” Hyungwon says as he hands Changkyun the second book.

“I’m the most boring person you can have around,” Changkyun winces as he tucks the book inside his bag.

“You’re more interesting than you think.” Hyungwon smirks.

It makes Changkyun feel better about being here. In the shop. In the country. “You just like it when I bring lunch here,” Changkyun jokes.

“That too.”

His grandmother seems pleased by her trick when Changkyun starts to go to the shop even when he isn’t asked any favors.

-

Changkyun finds the flower shop comforting. He drops by when he’s given errands, and stays because it’s quiet and comfortable. His grandmother doesn’t mind it when he stays over since it isn’t a busy season, and if anything, Changkyun’s been more of a help than a nuisance whenever he’s there. He mists the plants and inputs criticism about the different flower arrangements. In turn, he’s given the freedom to lounge in the shop’s table and chairs to read and study.

It becomes a routine, coming in at about two in the afternoon, and hearing the door ring behind him when another customer comes in at exactly 2:15.

Every. Single. Day.

Which shouldn’t bother Changkyun, but he finds it quite odd that there is another person who shares the comfort of the shop alongside himself. Someone who stays just because, and leaves without purchasing a single stem from the shop.

In Changkyun’s defense, he _does_ minimal help around. This guy, about an inch taller than Changkyun blond, and apparently wears a lot of leather even in the summer, takes out his sketch pad everytime he comes in and gets himself situated in front of whatever plant-of-the-day he chooses and begins to draw. Changkyun feels eyes on him when he passes by while misting the plants, and can tell that the stranger spares him some glances when he’s lounging on the couch and reading the book Hyungwon lends him.

But ultimately, Changkyun doesn’t give it much thought; thinks that maybe it’s just because he’s awkward and bothersome. It isn’t until he mans the front counter while Hyungwon is away making arrangements that the guy approaches, and Changkyun feels the most anxious again after a long time of feeling a bit comfortable around strangers.

Before the stranger even reaches the counter, Changkyun recoils back and says, “Let me get someone else to help you.”

The stranger holds his hands out and stops in his place. “No, it’s okay. I was only wondering,” the stranger pauses, and presses his lips into a smile, “if you can tell me which ones are Aurelian lilies? I’m not really familiar with their names.”

Changkyun refrains from barging in in the back room to call Hyungwon, and instead faces the stranger again. “Uh, it’s… there.” Changkyun points to the right corner of the shop by the windows when he recalls where he had seen the label. He gulps thickly. “Have fun drawing.”

The stranger grins cheekily, his eyes forming crescents. “So you do notice me.”

“It’s kind of hard not to,” Changkyun mumbles with a shrug of his shoulders. “You know… the blond hair.” Changkyun also noticed how he feels like a spectacle whenever he passes by in front of him, but he’ll just conveniently leave that out.

The stranger runs his fingers through his hair with a smile. “Ah, you’re not the first one to get distracted by it.”

“It suits you,” Changkyun says, attempting to sound as friendly as possible. 

“Thanks.” A bright smile creeps its way onto the stranger’s lips, and he goes off to the corner to which Changkyun pointed him to.

Then he realizes he's been holding a breath he doesn't even realize he was holding, and calms himself down. Leaving him to man the counter isn't the brightest idea, and he is going to let Hyungwon have a piece of his mind later when the other boy isn't busy anymore. The walls that he's been trying so hard to break down are building themselves up again. Maybe the confidence and comfort was all just temporary. In his head. He can't trick himself. Maybe Hyungwon's just pretending to like him. The thought scares him, and he's thankful that the door is able to shake him from those thoughts.

Hyungwon comes out of the back room with a bouquet in his arms and a lazy smile on his face and Changkyun feels a bit relieved even if the stranger hasn’t bothered him ever since Changkyun directed him to the lilies.

Hyungwon must take notice of Changkyun’s awkwardness, because he scrunches his eyebrows and asks, “Everything okay?”

Changkyun shakes his head. “Yeah, yeah. Nothing really happened.” He steps back with crossed arms to take a peek at the stranger earlier. “You know that dude who comes in everyday without buying anything?” He whispers, carefully quiet in order not for the other man to hear.

Changkyun misses the amused smile Hyungwon has on his lips. “What about him?”

“Nothing. He’s just… here. Again,” Changkyun says. “He asked where the Aurelian lilies are.”

Hyungwon raises an eyebrow. “He asked you?”

Changkyun nods. He scrambles to look like he hadn’t been talking about the customer when he suddenly pads over to the counter again, sketch pad already put away and a soft smirk on his face.

“Hi,” the stranger says.

Changkyun isn’t sure what or how to respond, so he doesn’t, but is shocked when the other boy beside him speaks up.

“Yah, Shin Wonho. Don’t scare him off like that,” Hyungwon suddenly barks from behind Changkyun. “He can actually kick you out. His grandmother owns the shop.”

“Aren’t I like two years older than you, punk?” Shin Wonho teases playfully.

“One. Don’t push it. Also, I’m being serious,” Hyungwon says. “You don’t exactly look like the friendliest person with those piercings.”

“I’m a friendly person though,” Wonho says. “I didn’t mean to bother you earlier. I was just curious because I thought you were Hyungwon’s co-worker.”

Only when Hyungwon looks back at Changkyun does he realize that the younger boy has been looking like he was lost and confused in their conversation. He points his finger back and forth at Hyungwon and the other guy. “You know each other?”

He hangs an arm around Changkyun’s shoulders and reassures him with a pat. “We’re friends. Changkyun, Wonho. Wonho, Changkyun.”

Changkyun nods his head. “It’s nice to meet you.” Changkyun presses a smile to attempt to become as comfortable as possible in this situation. It kind of works, he thinks. He’s able to relax under Hyungwon’s arms and return the smile Wonho is flashing at him.

“Hm,” Hyungwon smirks. “Just be careful of him,” he tells Changkyun as he eyes Wonho carefully. “He can get a bit too _friendly_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took me more than a month to update this! i haven't had a break since school ended because of my internship and i'm just always tired and drained :(
> 
> i'm also sorry that this update is short because tbh this was only cut off from chapter 3 :(((
> 
> also, i'm sorry if the story is a bit all over the place. i'll try my best to make it seamless in the next chapters!


	5. Chapter 5

Chae Hyungwon, very much unlike his muted and placid exterior, hangs out with people on the opposite side of the spectrum. Changkyun comes to learn this when Hyungwon invites him out to lunch on a Saturday, conveniently leaving the fact that the two of them would also be eating with Hyungwon’s other friends.

Hyungwon could feel Changkyun skid on his tracks when the both of them spot Hyungwon’s friends outside the fried chicken restaurant and automatically puts a hand on the plane of Changkyun’s back to push him forward.

“You told me we were having lunch together,” Changkyun says through gritted teeth before they’re only a few meters away from the group.

“We _are_ having lunch together,” Hyungwon whispers against his ear as he continues to push Changkyun. “What else do you think we’re going to do in a chicken restaurant, Changkyun? Go birdwatching?” Changkyun cranes his head and frowns at Hyungwon. “We need to test your newfound confidence.”

“Or lack thereof,” Changkyun mutters. He forces a grin when they close the gap between the two of them and Hyungwon’s friends. Automatically, his gaze falls down to the group’s knees, reflexively avoiding looking straight at their faces. When Hyungwon introduces him, he only lifts his head slightly before offering a small bow and a mumble of greeting.

It’s not like Changkyun doesn’t want to try become more sociable, because he does, and if he really didn’t want to, he wouldn’t even bother hanging out with Hyungwon in the flower shop. Changkyun sort of likes being able to hang out with someone for a change. But hanging out with boisterous people who probably have spoken more words in the last thirty minutes than Changkyun has ever said in the last five years naturally makes him uneasy and uncomfortable.

“You know who you remind me of?” Jooheon, the friend with contrasting scary eyes and dimply smile suddenly says.

Changkyun, startled and all, points his finger at himself. “Me?”

“Yeah,” Jooheon says with a grin. “You remind me of Haewon noona.” Everyone on table, save for Changkyun, looks at Hyungwon. “Right?”

Hyungwon hums, a bit more nonchalant than interested. “I guess.”

“Who’s Haewon?” Changkyun asks.

“My older sister. The one I steal books from to give to you.” Hyungwon smiles at a terrified Changkyun. “Don’t worry. She doesn’t mind.”

“They’re both anti-social, huh?” Jooheon says casually as he sips on his Coke, overlooking the subtle scowl that forms slowly on Hyungwon’s face. Wonho bumps Jooheon on the side with his elbow and clears his throat. Jooheon gulps at Hyungwon's stiff expression and explains, “I mean, the both of them don’t really talk as much. Haewon had a hard time talking to people before... right? LIke, a bit awkward and stuff.”

Changkyun blinks, unsure what to do or to say because a quarter of him is embarrassed that Hyungwon’s friends have caught up to his unsociable ways, another quarter is curious about Hyungwon’s sister, and the whole entire half is just cautious of the unamused Hyungwon beside him.

“They have something else in common too,” Wonho interjects innocently. “She graduated from Sungkyunkwan, right?” He then sends Hyungwon a pointed look, as if to say to calm down and just ignore what Jooheon had said. When Hyungwon's tense shoulders loosen, Wonho also seems to let out a breath of air, then gives Changkyun a tight-lipped smile when he notices that the younger boy has been staring.

“Ah.” That seems enough to distract Hyungwon from the momentarily tense air around their table. “She did.”

And that conversation ends right there. Changkyun’s glad that the tense air quickly subsides when Jooheon accidentally squirts ketchup on his shirt, which is enough to somehow alleviate a vexed Hyungwon.

-

It doesn’t come up until two days later when they meet again at the shop, while Hyungwon’s busy playing some game on his phone, and Changkyun is beside him, lazily going through the book of fixed flower arrangements on the counter.

“Hey, are you close with your sister?” Changkyun asks because he’s reminded by her whenever he catches a glimpse of the book Hyungwon has lent him.

Hyungwon pauses from his game for a second, before trying to act all indifferent about the inquiry. “Yeah. I guess we’ve always been. It’s always been me and her against the world. Or parents.”

Changkyun smiles. “That’s nice. What is she like?”

Hyungwon then puts his phone down and locks his screen, in favor of focusing on the conversation than the game. Changkyun ignores the book. “She’s quiet. Likes reading a ton, just like you.”

Changkyun goes back to the weekend they had lunch together. “Anti-social too, like me?” Of course, he doesn’t mean for it to sound self-deprecating, but it naturally comes out like that.

Hyungwon doesn’t look mad or anything that Changkyun is poking around. If anything, the look of sympathy he’s giving Changkyun is making the latter regret that he ever started this conversation. “I suppose you could say that,” he answers Changkyun. “She had it bad before, but she’s better now. We’re okay.”

Changkyun doesn’t think much of it, but based on how frugal Hyungwon is being with his words, he doesn’t press any longer. He’s surprised when Hyungwon gives him an unwarranted explanation.

“Maybe that’s the reason why I’m drawn to you,” Hyungwon leans his elbow on the counter and rests the side of his face on his palm, as he looked at Changkyun. “I hope you don’t think it’s just because I pity you.”

The thought hasn’t crossed Changkyun’s mind, though he’s always been curious as to why Hyungwon took a particular liking to him. Maybe it is because of his sister. Maybe it _is_ because of pity. As much as Changkyun doesn’t want it to be the latter of the two, he’s still thankful for Hyungwon and his company anyway. “I get free ice cream from you. Pity away.”

“Stupid,” Hyungwon flicks him on the forehead and goes back to playing his games. “How old are you, Korean age?” He says as he starts a new round, without glancing up to look at Changkyun.

“20, why?”

The edges of Hyungwon’s lips turn up into a smile. “It’s Jooheon’s birthday today.”

Changkyun twists his neck to look at the wall clock behind them. “Is that why Wonho isn’t here today?”

“Yeah. He’s helping Jooheon prepare,” Hyungwon nods. “That and because I told him to stop coming if he doesn’t buy anything from us.” Changkyun raises his eyebrows at that. “Anyway, he’s hosting a party later. Food and drinks, what do you say?”

“I don’t want to butt in just like that. I’m not invited.”

“This is your invitation,” Hyungwon says comfortingly.

“What if Jooheon doesn’t want me there?”

Hyungwon pauses the game once again and looks up at Changkyun. He chuckles involuntarily at how worried Changkyun looks. “That should be the least of your concerns. Jooheon wants you there. Wonho too.”

Changkyun stands up straight, crosses his arms at Hyungwon. “And if I don’t go? You’re not dragging me there this time? Tricking me?”

Hyungwon cracks up. “Your grandmother might fire me if I get on your bad side.” Changkyun rolls his eyes at him. “Don’t want to force you again. It’s not going to do anyone good.”

There’s that guilty look in Hyungwon’s eyes, maybe a hint of melancholy in his tone and Changkyun tries to overlook it. He hums thoughtfully. The third book Hyungwon lent him is in his bag, waiting – just calling for him to skip out on tonight and just resort to staying in and reading it the whole night. But after the first meeting, Changkyun figures that Hyungwon’s friends aren’t half bad, so he internally says, _fuck it._

_-_

They initially agree to meet up again at the flower shop after the both of them have freshened up in their respective homes, but Hyungwon was suspecting Changkyun might back out at the last minute, so he tells Changkyun he’d meet him at his grandmother’s house. He stares at his reflection on the mirror hanging on the wall and has second thoughts about going.

“You look good, Changkyunnie,” his grandmother comments when she passes by him with a bowl of rice in her hands. It had been her who had taken one good look at the hot-as-fuck sweater Changkyun first threw on before saying _Changkyun, I think you should wear a shirt. You could put a jacket above it – the black one? That looks good on you. And it wouldn’t give you a heat stroke._

Changkyun runs his hand through his hair and follows his grandmother to the dining room. “Maybe I shouldn’t go. I don’t want you to eat dinner alone.”

“I want you out of the house in ten minutes,” she says. “Don’t worry about me. I’m catching up on my favorite drama and I don’t want to be bothered.”

Changkyun grins and backs up in his steps. “You won’t hear from me the whole night. I’ll bring my keys as to not disturb you.” The doorbell resonates from the front door, which is the sign that Hyungwon’s probably there. Changkyun’s heart skips a beat.

“Have fun and be safe, alright?” His grandmother looks at him lovingly with a warm smile.

It’s taking so much of Changkyun’s courage to not run the opposite way back to his grandmother’s house as they walk through the busy streets of Seoul. He’s thankful that his grandmother dressed him up more comfortably and good, based on how he even earned a compliment from Hyungwon while they were walking from the house. The weather outside is nice, and it’s the perfect Friday for everyone to come out and have fun after the busy week. It’s the kind of day where Changkyun would very much rather stay home.

Hyungwon describes the gathering to only accomodate a few people. _Just Jooheon’s closest friends_ , as Hyungwon had said. He would probably meet Wonho again there. Then the birthday boy, Jooheon, who, for some reason, doesn’t mind if a stranger crashes his birthday dinner, if there is any truth to what Hyungwon said earlier.

Changkyun would probably run out of confidence within half an hour so he memorizes the bus they get on and the streets they walk in case he has to send himself home alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can scream at me at my [twitter](http://twitter.com/euigeonie) re: the lack of updates in the last two months
> 
> hm, i just realized i focused a bit more on hyungwon and changkyun's developing friendship in the first chapters. it's just because i had originally wanted hyungwon to become more important to changkyun later when the drama happens haha sorry if there isn't much wonkyun yet!
> 
> next chapter SHOULD be more interesting than the first four combined
> 
> i hope lol

**Author's Note:**

> comments, kudos... tbh anything is appreciated! from now on i shall start replying/acknowledging comments haha


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